The Dismissal (film)
| Die Entlassung | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Wolfgang Liebeneiner |
| Written by | Alexander Lernet-Holenia (story) Curt J. Braun Felix von Eckardt |
| Produced by | Emil Jannings (producer) Fritz Klotsch (line producer) Walter Lehmann (executive producer) |
| Starring | See below |
| Cinematography | Fritz Arno Wagner |
| Edited by | Martha Dübber |
| Music by | Herbert Windt |
Release date | 1942 |
Running time | 110 minutes 100 minutes (West Germany cut version) |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Language | German |
Die Entlassung (English title: The Dismissal) is a 1942 German film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner about the dismissal of Otto von Bismarck. It was one of only four films to receive the honorary distinction "Film of the Nation" ("Film der Nation") by the Reich Propaganda Ministry Censorship Office.[1]
The success of the 1940 film Bismarck led to this film as a sequel.[2]
The film is also known as Bismarck's Dismissal in the United Kingdom, Schicksalswende (West German rerun title) and Wilhelm II. und Bismarck (new West German title).
Plot summary
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The film shows Bismarck being dismissed by Wilhelm II of Germany and the dilettantes who surround him.[3] An unscrupulous schemer plays on the king's desire to lead and so persuades him to the dismissal.[4] This results in a disastrous two-front war by destroying Bismarck's treaty with Russia and leaving him to lament with the question of who would complete his work.[3]
Cast
- Emil Jannings as Fürst Bismarck
- Margarete Schön as Fürstin Johanna Bismarck
- Christian Kayßler as Graf Herbert Bismarck
- Theodor Loos as Kaiser Wilhelm I
- Karl Ludwig Diehl as Kaiser Friedrich III
- Hildegard Grethe as Kaiserin Friedrich
- Werner Hinz as Kaiser Wilhelm II
- Werner Krauss as Geheimrat von Holstein
- Otto Graf as Graf Eulenburg
- Paul Hoffmann as Graf Waldersee
- Paul Bildt as Minister von Bötticher
- Walther Süssenguth as Zar Alexander
- Franz Schafheitlin as Botschafter Graf Schuwalow
- Herbert Hübner as Generaladjutant von Hahnke
- Rudolf Blümner as Chef des Zivilkabinetts von Lucanus
- Fritz Kampers as Professor Dr. Schwenninger
- Emil Heß as Grossfürst Wladimir
- Heinrich Schroth as General von Caprivi
Soundtrack
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Release and reception
The war with Russia delayed its release, and it was not exported, owing to the obvious parallels.[5]
Motifs
Much emphasis was laid on Bismarck's notion of Greater Germany.[5] His failure was depicted as leading to Versailles.[6]
References
- ^ SabineHake, German National Cinema, p. 63
- ^ Robert Edwin Hertzstein, The War That Hitler Won p305 ISBN 0-399-11845-4
- ^ a b Robert Edwin Hertzstein, The War That Hitler Won p305-6 ISBN 0-399-11845-4
- ^ Erwin Leiser, Nazi Cinema p120 ISBN 0-02-570230-0
- ^ a b Robert Edwin Hertzstein, The War That Hitler Won p306 ISBN 0-399-11845-4
- ^ Erwin Leiser, Nazi Cinema p119 ISBN 0-02-570230-0
External links
- The Dismissal at IMDb
- Die Entlassung is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- Die Entlassung Full movie at Deutsche Filmothek
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 | This article related to a German film of the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1942 films
- 1940s historical films
- German historical films
- German films
- German-language films
- German black-and-white films
- Films of Nazi Germany
- Films set in Prussia
- Films set in Berlin
- Films set in the 1880s
- Films set in the 1890s
- Cultural depictions of Otto von Bismarck
- Cultural depictions of Wilhelm II
- 1940s German film stubs